Stormy Weather Ahead

AccuWeather reports the week between Christmas and New Year's Day will feature multiple storms across the nation, some with snow, some with rain and many with both.

The pattern will be busy like this past week but with some new twists.

The stormiest sector in the nation will be the Northwest, where systems that were mostly plowing into British Columbia will drive southward. The region will make up for a relative quiet weather pattern during much of December.

As many as six storms will slam into the Northwest from Monday to New Year's Day. That's nearly a storm a day!

Snow levels will vary from storm to storm and during each storm. The pattern will raise the risk of flash flooding in the lower elevations and avalanches in the high country. At least a couple of the storms will bring disruptive snow to the passes.

The upcoming stormy pattern is getting a later start than originally expected with high pressure hanging on during much of this week. However, that is about to change.

Meanwhile, the storms plowing into the Northwest next week have to go somewhere. As a result, the pattern will get (or remain) quite busy as far as storm systems are concerned over much of the balance of the nation.

The storm train will progress southward into at least part of California and the Sierra Nevada. Snow levels will be high in this area during much of the onslaught, but similar to the Northwest, one or more storms could bring slow travel over Donner Pass.

The weather pattern will bring warmer weather to the West in general, but again one or more storms could still deliver snow to Denver.

The situation from the Plains to the East Coast will be quite complicated. At this point, it is impossible to pin down the details for each of the storms as they start rolling from the Northwest.

One storm, which is the same system delivering snow to El Paso Friday, will have to be dealt with as it is ejected from the Southwest during the first part of next week.

That storm will bring drenching rain to Texas this weekend and could bring downpours and possible severe weather to some Southern bowl games early next week.

A lack of consistent cold air will continue to be a problem for snow lovers from the Midwest to the Northeast. The cold air building in over the Christmas weekend will again head out before the next potential storm.

The Texas storm will either lift to the northeast or scoot more eastward. At any rate, it would be mostly rain or nothing for the mid-Atlantic and southern New England. If it takes the more northerly route, it could deliver wet snow to part of the Ohio Valley to the eastern Great Lakes and northern New England Monday night into Tuesday.

After the Texas storm runs its course, the main storm track will be aligned more west to east across the northern half of the nation next week and will allow storms to swiftly cross the country.